So, looks like Ill be replacing cats sometime in the very near future... I did some searching and found very differing opinions on factory replacement vs. universal fit or aftermarket cats.

So what does everyone else recommend? Im not necessarily opposed to buying universal fit (such as magnaflow) and cutting the old and welding them in. I have the resources/help to do it, just wondering what problems/mistakes/positives others have come across when replacing cats. I realize that best case would be to buy factory replacement... but im not real excited about spending $1400 on cats lol

 

If you have the know how to pull the downpipes out, then pull them. Cut the cats out of the downpipes and weld in a set of magna flow cats (or whatever) and call it a day. The stock Eberspacher cats flow pretty damn well, about as much as a high flow cat so you don't want to get a standard replacement as it would probably hinder performance a bit.

 

what is your guys opinion on cuttin the cats out and just weldin a straight piece of plain ol pipe in there? more hp and better sound??? i dont have emission testing where i live so that is not a problem... besides my cats are making a clicking noise so i want em gone

 

Would anything else be required to pass the darn California smog test?

 

You could cut them out if you wanted to, but you won't notice a horsepower increase.

 

You have to pass the visual inspection which checks all the emmisions related componets. If that all checks out, then they put the sniffer in the tail pipe. Test the engine at idle then run it on a dyno (if they have a four wheel dyno) Most states just plug in the OBD2 scanner and check for fault codes, there has to be less than 2 stored fault codes in the ECM. Which also applies to california law.
If you get the cats replaced then it should pass without a problem.